Runaways and a Warehouse
by There Was A Silence
Summary: When a runaway girl is met and taken in by an ex-gang member, a diseased rabbit, an abused beansprout and a kid, you can just expect trouble.


**Okay, this is my first multi-chapter fic. I really hope it doesn't suck. If you've ever read Fruits Basket, you might see similarities in the situation, and because of this there is a good chance Lenalee will be OOC, and turn out Tohru-ish. But don't worry, I'm fairly certain it will veer off from any Fruits Basket-ish path. I hope you like it, please don't be shy to drop a review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DGM, or Fruits Basket. I wouldn't be a desperate manga-obsessed penniless fourteen-year-old if I did.**

**____**

The streets were shady and dark, with ragged clad men stalking the shadows and alleys, waiting for a victim to steal from, to hurt, to scare. An aura of death hung thick in the air like a curtain, suffocating, dank. But Lenalee Lee, sixteen, ever the oblivious optimist, walked them without fear or suspicion of the hungry eyed men. She paused under the sole bright street lamp, while around the sphere of light swirled dark, murky shadows; a perfect depiction of the situation she was unaware she was in.

"Oh no… I think I'm lost…" She muttered to herself a little too loudly as she set down her duffel bag—her only item and protection—and pulled the map out of her back pocket. Turning it this way and that, she didn't notice the creatures of the night approaching with eager hands, and she would've fallen prey to them if it hadn't been for the two who came into view the next moment.

She was just smoothing out the creases when a dark figure came hurdling out of the shadows, and all she heard was, "Dammit Fidget, stop pulling on my jacket—!" Before said figure collided into her, and Lenalee and the person were both sent sprawling. After a moment, Lenalee sat up, still dazed, and began to apologize profusely (even though it wasn't her fault at all) at the same time that the person began shouting at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive me, I'm so sorry! Miss, are you alright?!"

"Will you watch it lady?! Why don't you pay some god damn attention next time— wait, _what the hell_ did you just call me?"

The person, who's head had been downcast as they rubbed it, snapped it up to glare. And Lenalee gasped in shock and horror to see that this person was a young _man_.

A very handsome, angry young man at that. He was wearing a black leather jacket and torn dark jeans; on his feet were plain black sneakers. He looked about her age, maybe a year or two older. Even on the ground down, she could tell he was taller. His eyes were jet black, and he had the similar Asian features that could be seen on Lenalee herself. All in all, he was an extremely attractive young man. So it was this fact, and of course the fierce scowl on his face that made Lenalee stutter and blush in her apology.

"Oh. OH!! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't— I mean, your hair is just— I thought that— I'm so sorry!!"

In Lenalee's defense, the man had long, silky black hair pulled back into a slick black ponytail, and it looked so well taken care of that it was no wonder she'd made the mistake. But that didn't stop her face from flushing crimson or the man from glaring. He opened his mouth to yell, but luckily for Lenalee, a small boy popped up in between them.

"Are you alright, Kanda? You should really watch where you're going before you hurt someone," Without waiting for a reply from the man—one that probably would have been verbally abusive, judging by the look on the man's face—the child turned to Lenalee, who's heart instantly caught in her throat.

The boy was the cutest, most adorable thing she'd ever seen. He had floppy, mousy brown hair that fell into huge, clear blue eyes. His cheeks were rosy, and his expression was one of wonder and the most pure innocence. He was cuter than a cherub.

"Are you okay lady?" The boy piped in a voice like wind chimes, filled with sweet concern. Lenalee honestly couldn't help herself. She tackled the boy in a bone crushing embrace, crying, "YOU'RE SO CUTE!!" as the boy just giggled sheepishly. Still clutching the small bundle of cuteness, she stood, turning to face the man she'd bumped into.

"You must be his father! Or, brother? It's nice to meet you! My name is Lenalee Lee. It's Kanda, right?" She stuck out her hand pleasantly, smiling. Kanda just frowned pointedly at the gesture for a second, before completely ignoring it and sneering at the girl.

"Father? To _that_? You must be joking. The only reason I'm with that little brat is because he won't leave me alone." As if to prove his point, the boy squirmed free of Lenalee's arms and latched onto Kanda's leg, grinning. Kanda, thoroughly annoyed, shook his leg violently to free it of the little creature. "Dammit Fidget, let go of me, you little wuss!"

"Fidget? Is that his name?" Lenalee asked, looking questioningly at the small boy, before breaking out into a huge smile. "It's adorable!"

Fidget, who was still latched onto Kanda's leg, exclaimed brightly, "Yeah! I'm called that because I have HDDA! I don't know what that means, but I love it!"

"No you idiot, it's ADHD! And you can't love it, it's a bad thing!" Kanda scolded angrily. Fidget released the older man's leg, which he must not have expected because he wheeled backward, almost falling again. Fidget scurried up to Lenalee and cupped his hands around his mouth, as though he had a secret. Lenalee bent down and the boy whispered, "He always says that, but I think he's just jealous that I have DHAD and he doesn't!"

"YOU'RE TOO CUTE!!" Lenalee shouted, scooping him up again.

"You can keep him," Kanda growled sourly. He began to walk off.

"Kanda!" Fidget reached for the man's back, grabbing hold of his ponytail and tugging hard, jerking him backward.

"…"

For a moment, all was still. Even though Lenalee had just met the man, she highly doubted such an action would be brushed off. Then an odd feeling began to leech from Kanda's being, one of murderous intent. Lenalee inched back nervously with Fidget as Kanda turned slowly, and stepped closer.

"How many times have I told you, you little _runt_, to _**never**_ pull my hair?" His voice was slow and very quiet, and somehow this was even scarier than his screaming. Fidget, however, seemed completely unfazed, and smiled. "About as many times as you've told Lavi not to call you Yu!"

"Exactly. And we both know how many times I've done that. So would you please explain to me…" Kanda's voice was growing steadily louder as he advanced. "…why in heaven or hell…" He raised a fist above his head, aimed at the beaming boy in Lenalee's arms.

"…you would even _think_ of pulling my hair?!" Lenalee's eyes widened as Kanda's fist came down, and several thoughts flashed through her mind at once.

_Oh no he's going to hit him he's not in his right mind because he's so angry so it's not his fault and it's not Fidget's fault because he would have pulled Kanda's jacket if I hadn't been holding him back so he had to reach for his hair oh no then it's my fault I deserve to be hit I do oh no I should take the hit yes!!_

The time span of those thoughts having only been about two seconds, Lenalee managed to whirl on her heel with an 'eep!' and show her back to Kanda, allowing herself to take the light punch she was sure she deserved. Kanda, who had already been in the swinging motion when she'd turned, couldn't stop himself. _Thunk!_

His fist collided with her back, and she stumbled forward a step. For yet again another very awkward moment, no one did anything. Kanda just stared at the terrified girl in disbelief, slowly working out the fact that he had just hit a girl.

Holy crap.

He just hit a _girl._

Of course, Kanda would never have actually hurt Fidget, no matter all the threats he made. He often bonked him on the head, but only lightly. That still, however, did not lighten the fact that he just punched a woman. In shame at this undeniable fact, he did what he always did when he was ashamed or embarrassed—he shouted at her.

Which probably didn't help the situation.

"You idiot! That hit wasn't meant for you! Only a fool would play the martyr and take the blow for someone they don't even know! Which leads to the fact that you are a total inexcusable fool of a girl!" He stopped suddenly, because the girl was talking madly, mostly one word. One word that surprised him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, so sorry! Sorry! I just didn't want you hitting him! It's my fault you're angry, so I deserved the punch! Sorry! Don't feel bad! I'm sorry, sorry!" The girl's eyes were moist as she continued to apologize, completely convinced that everything was her fault. At this realization, Kanda's eyes widened, and he felt a pang of guilt for making this young naïve girl upset.

"Che… it's, uh, fine I guess."

The girl, Lenalee, jerked; blinking in surprise. "R-really? Are you sure?" She sniffed, her voice full of hope.

"Yeah. Forget about it." With that he began to walk away, Fidget waving energetically beside him. But after about twenty steps, Kanda made the mistake of stealing a glance over his shoulder. Which meant seeing the girl Lenalee Lee kneeling on the sidewalk with a map laid out in front of her, raven black hair tumbling past her shoulders, violet eyes still glistening with tears, a perfect match to the smile that was still bright on her face at the simple thought that she'd been forgiven for something that wasn't even her fault. Totally innocent and oblivious to the danger she was in. She was bound to get hurt…

_Why the hell do I care?_

He turned back around, che-ing grumpily and walking forward again, unaware of Fidget's wide blue staring eyes. When the boy saw that his guardian was too stubborn and proud to turn around, he decided to intervene, just a little.

"_Sigh_… too bad…"

"What is it now, brat?"

Fidget shrugged. "Nothing. I was just thinking about that girl, Lenalee,"—Kanda stiffened—"it's really too bad. She's so sweet, isn't she? And innocent. _And_ pretty. And we both know what happens to girls like that in a place like this. One, defenseless little girl, all those big scary pervs… but oh well,"

Kanda's cold black eyes were darting back and forth now as an internal conflict raged within him. Fidget smirked.

_Three, two, one—_

"Shit!" Groaning, Kanda turned around for the third time and stomped back the way he'd come. Fidget skipped beside him grinning.

"Fidget, if you breath one word of this to that Beansprout or the Rabbit, I swear—"

"Don't worry, Kanda! I won't tell Allen or Lavi that you like a girl!" He got a whack on the head for that.

At that moment, Lenalee looked up to see them returning, shock written across her face.

"K-Kanda—?"

"You're lost."

"Huh? Well yes, but—"

"This place is dangerous."

"H-HUH?!"

"Stop stuttering. We'll bring you back to town, and then we're leaving. Got it?"

"B-but, to put you through so much trouble—!"

"It's no trouble at all!" Fidget trilled, and grabbed Lenalee's hands, pulling her down to his level. "I wanna know more about Lenalee! Please, please!" Lenalee couldn't resist the cuteness.

"Kyaa! Okay, you're just so cute!"

"Idiots. Hurry up before before I change my mind." Kanda snapped, stalking ahead, Lenalee and Fidget hurrying after them. As they walked, Fidget's hyperactive side kicked in, and soon he was talking to Lenalee a mile a minute, nonstop, while all poor Lenalee could do was nod along. Every couple of minutes or so, Kanda would glance at her, at her smiling, laughing face, and had to look away.

_What the hell is wrong with me? Why do I care?_

Kanda spent the next half hour trying to find the answer, only to come up empty. _Shit, shit, shit! _He thought harder. Unfortunately, the more he thought, the more the answer eluded him, until his mood was so far down that he scowled and cursed every single living and nonliving thing in the this known universe and all other unknown universes. But just as the answer was within his grasp, the unmistakable roar of powerful engines sounded from behind them, and in moments five men on motorcycles had them surrounded.

Kanda glared at each of them; making quite the menacing appearance, when the girl had to go and ruin it. Lenalee spun around, eyes wide in fear, backing into him and throwing him off balance. She was so scared she didn't even feel embarrassment as she clung to his jacket, eyes already watering. Kanda himself, however, seemed extremely uncomfortable in this position, and even his iron will couldn't stop the tiny flush of color on his face. Fidget tugged on Lenalee's hand with a sigh.

"Don't worry Lenalee, this happens all the time."

But before Lenalee could question this comment, one of the men spoke. "Well, looka what we haf here!" The man slurred as he stumbled off his bike.

"Seems ta be a kid and two pretty ladies!" Another laughed, taking a swig from the bottle in his hand.

"Yeah, 'specially this one!" One said pointing to Kanda as he got a little closer, squinting at him curiously. Then his eyes widened, and he reeled back, guffawing. "Oi, that one's a guy!" He croaked, pointing a crooked finger at a very pissed off Kanda, who was so angry he didn't seem fit to speak. It was a wonder to Lenalee that the men couldn't feel the aura of death coming off him at that moment. It was practically tangible.

The first man laughed. "Maybe, but _dat_ one's definitely a girl!" He hiccupped, and with a thrill of terror Lenalee realized that those twisted eyes were focused on her.

"Why not come with us, girlie?" A voice sounded from behind her. She whipped around, to see that one of the men had circled to the other side, eliminating any chance they had of going back the way they came. The man was still staring at her, and Lenalee just shook her head, stepping closer to Kanda.

"Aw, dun be like that," The man had advanced, and was now close enough to touch. Fear coursed through her, the man reached out, she shut her eyes—

A flash of silver, a yelp of pain, a splash of red.

Lenalee's eyes snapped open, to find her vision blocked by a long black ponytail. She leaned left to see past Kanda's shoulder (which wasn't there when she'd closed her eyes) to see what happened, and gasped.

The drunk was on the ground, howling in pain and clutching his hand, which was gushing blood. In Kanda's grasp was a long, wickedly curved knife, perhaps even a dagger, with it's tip dripping dark red. The man glared up at Kanda, his features contorted with hate. "I'll kill you for that! Kill you!!"

Kanda merely rolled his eyes. "Please. Someone who blubbers over _that_ isn't even worth my time. Go run along before you get hurt."

For a moment, the man and his friends simply stared in awe, completely bowled over that Kanda spoke so calmly and disrespectfully to them. But as Lenalee watched, their shock was washed away, to be replaced with fury, and the man on the ground lunged at him, giving an angry shout.

"Kanda!" Lenalee cried, but her worries were for naught. Because without even a whiff of effort, he leaned out of the way and the man tumbled to the sidewalk. Before he could clear his head, Kanda's blade was at his throat, and his voice was an acidy hiss.

"I'll give you pricks one chance to walk away with your tail tucked between your legs back to the hole you came from," The man was shaking with fear as Kanda's dagger bit into his skin and a single drop of blood trickled down. But suddenly Kanda eased up and stepped back, turning the blade in his hand. And for the first time in the short while Lenalee had known him, he smiled.

Granted, it was more like a mix between a snarl and a sneer, and his eyes glinted with a deep, disturbing pleasure. "Or, you can stand and fight like men."

The man slowly got up and cracked his knuckles, while his fellows advanced menacingly, with the intent to kill. Kanda nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Perhaps you're not all spineless cowards." He brandished his dagger in an odd way, as though he were holding a sword. Lenalee jumped as he barked over his shoulder at her and Fidget, without the slightest turn of the head.

"Oi, Fidget. I'll make an opening to the left. Take the girl to the warehouse. We'll bring her to town after I've finished blowing off some steam."

Fidget saluted happily. "Okie dokie, sir!"

Without another word, or even a gesture that he'd heard Fidget confirm the plan in the slightest, Kanda darted to the left, a dark blur. Instantly, two men were writhing on the ground, gripping their wounds in pain.

Well, as one can imagine, Lenalee was rather traumatized by all this. But Fidget wasn't waiting. He grabbed her hand and pulled with a strength too big for his size. "Let's go!"

In no state to argue, Lenalee was yanked away, jumping frantically over the men while Fidget trampled them in his haste, as his hyperactive side shown through. As they sped down an alley, Kanda sighed and wiped his blade. This was perfect; they couldn't have come at a better time. It had been a long time since he'd had a good fight. He closed his eyes and gave a deadly grin.

"Now then. Who's next? After the last half hour, I need to vent some stress. Don't disappoint me." The men attacked— and Lenalee disappeared with Fidget behind a corner, blocking them from view. _He'll get hurt! We have to go back for him!!_

"Fidget! What about Kanda?!"

Fidget laughed and shook his head, misunderstanding. "Don't worry, he won't kill them! He doesn't do that anymore!"

"HUH?!"

By this point, Fidget had let go of her hand and was sprinting away, laughing and having hyperactive spasms. So, due to his ADHD moment, he didn't notice the wheezing girl falling behind. In minutes, the boy was out of sight, and Lenalee was once again alone.

"Fidget!" She got no answer. Frowning, she turned around; maybe she could get back to Kanda. Unfortunately, in her frantic and vain attempts to stay with Fidget, she'd turned corners blindly, cutting through alleys and deserted streets that all seemed identical. So going back was out of the question. And Fidget didn't seem to be coming back. She glanced up and down the street, seeing only impenetrable darkness. Slowly, she backed up into the flickering light of the street lamp, and crouched on the curb, setting down her duffel back beside her and hugging her knees to her chest. Although less than an hour ago she'd been in the same position, for the first time since she'd run away, she felt cold, scared, and truly alone.

Tears suddenly burned her violet eyes, and with shaking hand she reached into her bag and pulled out one of her few precious pictures—she'd only had enough room for three. One was of her, her older brother and her parents on a family vacation. She didn't remember the time, because she'd only been a baby then. The second and third were of her and her brother— one when she was seven and he was twenty, and the other of only the recently past Christmas. It was this one she pulled out.

"Brother…"

The tears began to fall, and not for the first time she wished she was home, with her brother. She'd roably be making dinner now, despite how much he'd offer. His cooking always was the worst… Hugging the picture tightly, she rested her head on her knees, and cried.

"Hey look, it's a broad,"

Lenalee froze.

"Yeah, a pretty one, too. And all _alone_,"

She stood quickly, stuffing the picture in her bag and slipping it onto her back. "Who's there?"

The voices didn't answer but for low, crazed laughing. Lenalee frowned, her heart beating fast in her chest, and she took a fighting stance. When she was young, her brother had made her take some martial arts courses for self defense out of his over-protective-sister complex. She'd only gotten a few weeks worth, but she knew the basics, and was an exceptionally good kicker. In her fear before with Kanda, she'd completely forgotten, but after looking at the pictures the memories had come back, and she prepared herself for a fight.

Into the pool of light three men entered, slowly approaching her. One man, obviously the leader, donned a nasty sneer—a failed attempt, she noted, at what was probably meant to be a persuasive 'smile'.

"Stay away," She warned, much stronger and firmer than she felt. The two other men laughed stupidly, while the leader tutted her.

"Aw, but you must be so scared, what with all the big bad men out here,"

Lenalee, despite being terrified of these men, scoffed. "Big bad men? Well, if they're anything like you scum then I think I can take care of myself."

The two other men stopped laughing instantly, and cracked their knuckles, glaring. The leader, however, only smirked.

"Scum? That hurt! But sweetheart, you don't know what scum really is," His eyes suddenly began to glow hungrily. "Come on boys, why don't we show her?"

The rightmost man lunged, arms outstretched. Gulping hard, Lenalee waited until the last second before twisting out of the way, allowing the man to stumble and crash. Without wasting any time, she landed a sharp kick to the gut, and slammed her heel on the back of his head, successfully knocking him out. Out of the corner of her eye, the second man came barreling into view. In one fluid movement she turned to him and gave a well aimed kick to the groin, cousing the man to double over. Lenalee grabbed his lowered head and cracked it against her knee, now making him recoil in pain. The man reeled back, arms swinging to keep his balance, but the girl wasn't done. She lifted her leg and kicked—quickly and efficiently—the man's throat, throwing him back, coughing and spluttering.

With them taken care of, she turned away, her feet poised to run, to escape— when she was from behind. She shrieked in alarm, as a voice purred in her ear, "Mm, smarter than I thought."

The leader. In her frantic attack, she'd forgotten him, and now it seemed to be coming back to bite her. She struggled and kicked, but the man's grip was vice like. With a bark that could only be a laugh, he twisted and flung her to the ground.

Crashing hard on her back, the wind flew out of her, rendering her completely immobile. The man was looming over her in seconds, pinning her down. His face was inches away from her now, and his breath was rancid; it made Lenalee want to puke. "Get away from me, you creep!"

The man shook his shaggy head, and another wave of death-breath made Lenalee's head swim. "I don't think so, sweetheart. You shouldn't be insulting the man in control." He laughed wickedly, and Lenalee felt tears spring into her eyes. The men from before slowly got up, glaring at her with hatred, and then grinning at their leader and egging him on. A thrill of fear shot through the girl as the leader leaned down and kissed her neck.

"Don't… don't…!"

A rumble came from the man's throat as he laughed. "_Please _don't,"

Lenalee's face became tear streaked as the man drew closer, and she found herself thinking of her brother. How hard he worked to always keep her safe. Now all those worries and efforts would be wasted.

_Brother… I'm sorry…_

She screwed her eyes shut and waited for the worst…

But it never came.

Because just then, quite suddenly, there was an angry cry from the left, and the sound of two sets of running feet. "What the hell are you doing?!" And then the weight of the man on top of her lifted and was swept away. There was a crash and a yell, and two girly screams as the two other thugs scrambled away, hauling their leader after them. Lenalee blinked in sheer surprise, tears still frozen on her face, and very, very slowly, pulled herself up into a sitting position.

There, she saw two boys. The younger one was glaring after the muggers angrily. "Bloody American scum," The boy muttered in a British accent, re-gloving the hand he'd punched the men with. He wore a navy blue sweater vest, and plain tan slacks. He had a slight frame, and seemed a little younger than Lenalee; but only by a year, if even that. Honestly, when Lenalee first saw him, she'd mistaken him for an old man. Understandably, of course—the boy had pure, snowy white hair. As if that wasn't noticeable enough, across his left eye was a long red scar that led to a scarlet pentacle on his forehead. In the back of her mind, Lenalee noticed his eyes were the most unbelievable silver-gray. They weren't even looking at her, and she was captivated.

"Hey man, I take offense to that. I'm American too you know," Laughed the second boy. He looked a bit older, the same age as Kanda. He was grinning from ear to ear, and wore an open loose black jacket with simple white tee shirt underneath and baggy blue jeans— a very normal outfit, one that wouldn't have caught an eye, but that was probably the most normal part of him. He had impossibly bright, fiery red hair, held up in a black bandana. Around his neck was a vibrant orange scarf, standing out against the black jacket. And while his left eye was a clear, brilliant emerald green, his right eye was still more catching— or perhaps, lack of one. Where his right eye should have been, a black eye patch took its place.

Aside from that, Lenalee couldn't help but notice, both boys were striking. As good looking as Kanda. With this and their appearances in mind, one thing could ultimately be said about them— they certainly stood out in a crowd.

The first boy huffed heatedly, and turned to Lenalee. "Miss, are you all right? Did those beastly brutes do anything vulgar to you?" Lenalee just stared in shock as the boy bent down in front of her, offering his hand and helping her up with a worried expression. The redhead approached, laughing and shaking his head.

"Dude, you probably confused her with all your weird British shit. Honestly, I can barely understand you. Look, what he meant was, you okay? They didn't touch you, did they?"

Lenalee swallowed hard, trying to blink back the still-there tears, and shook her head. She found herself leaning heavily on the British boy; her legs didn't seem to want to hold her up properly. She looked at them earnestly. "Thank you… thank you, thank you…" She shoved a shaking hand into her pocket and pulled out a small wad of bills, pushing it at the young men.

The redhead's eyes bulged. "Whoa! That's a lotta dough!"

The white haired boy shook his head vigorously, pressing the money back into Lenalee's hands. "No miss, we couldn't possibly accept that."

"Hey buddy, speak for yourself—"

"Shut up, idiot. What's your name, miss?"

"Lenalee," She answered quietly, re-pocketing her money. She would have insisted that they take it, but her head was swimming and it was all she could do to stay on her feet. The younger boy smiled and inclined his head a little.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Allen Walker."

"An' I'm Lavi. What're you doing out here, Princess?"

Lenalee tried to answer, but her voice wasn't working. The world was tilted at a weird angle, and her knees were shaking. Allen's grip tightened on her arm as she swayed. "Lenalee, are you feeling alright? You don't look well," He asked worriedly. The poor girl looked like she'd seen a ghost. She just shook her head, pushing off of him.

"I… I'm fine, just a little woozy from all the excitement," She breathed. Lavi was very suddenly right in front of her, too close for comfort. He pressed his hand to her forehead rudely, his face inches from her own. Seeing her reddening face, he grinned.

"So… Since ol' Brit won't let you pay us in money, how 'bout you thank us with a kiss?"

"U-uh… um…!"

Allen suddenly elbowed Lavi in the ribs, trying hard not to sound as angry and irked as he was. "Come off it, Lavi. You're scaring the poor girl,"

Lavi grimaced and wheeled sideways. "Shit Allen, that hurt like a mother! Just a joke, damn!"

"You're jokes are bloody illegal, perv."

Lavi shrugged, smiling innocently. "Aw, I was just checking to see if she had a fever." He gave a start, and nodded matter-of-factly. "Which, incidentally, she does, by the way."

Lenalee and Allen gaped. As he turned to her with concern written across his face, she shook her head violently, horrified at the thought of a fever. "N-No! I'm fine, honestly! I don't want to put you through anymore trouble! I'll… I'll find town, somehow. I've put enough people through trouble today!" The last thing she wanted was to put her saviors through any more grief. She'd already done that enough to Kanda, who might be wounded and bleeding somewhere, and she had absolutely no idea where Fidget was. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to these young men too. She started to scramble back, waving her hands desperately. However, as she tried to escape, her head suddenly pounded painfully, and her vision clouded. Heat flashed through her, and she tugged at her collar as her knees buckled underneath her.

"Too warm…"

"Wah!" Allen's hand shot out just in time to catch her before she pitched sideways. He glanced around desperately. "Miss Lenalee! Please wake up!" Lavi chuckled as he knelt down next to the pair, touching the girl's forehead again.

"Dude, she's burning up. Probably made herself sick with all that worry and shit,"

"What the bloody hell do we do?!" Allen cried, his accent coming through thick again. Lavi scratched under his bandana thoughtfully, going through their list of options.

"We could call an ambulance,"

"From what? Neither of us have phones."

"We could try to carry her back to town,"

"Town is an hour and a half away on foot. No way we'll be able to carry her that long."

"Wait here till she wakes up?"

"Who knows how long that could be? With all the filth roaming the streets right now, it would be safer to just bring her to the warehouse." As soon as the words left Allen's mouth, he regretted them.

In a flash Lavi was on his feet, squealing and bouncing on his toes in excitement. " Yeah! Let's take her to the warehouse!"

Allen gave him a deadpan stare. "Let me think—no."

"Aw, why not?"

"Kanda? Do you honestly think he'd react positively to us bringing an unconscious girl back?"

"Yu's got a soft spot for girls,"

"Just because he doesn't verbally bash them to a bloody pulp as badly as he does to men doesn't mean he will let a young girl in the warehouse."

"Maybe he'll have a change of heart for this one! She's cute innocent and all that crap!"

"Lavi. This is Kanda we're talking about. He doesn't have a heart to _change_. Do you remember when you fell down two flights of stairs and broke your leg? And who it was that told you to stop being such a pansy and call the ambulance yourself? That was Kanda."

Lavi flinched at the memory, but dismissed it with a shrug. "Al, we don't really have any other choice."

"No. I refuse to subject this poor girl to that arse." Allen declared, crossing his arms stubbornly.

The redhead sighed. Allen didn't seem to be changing his mind. When Lavi thought about it seriously, he saw that they really didn't have any other safe option, and if they wanted the girl safe, they'd bring her back with them. Allen, however, did not see the light. Despite everything, the young white haired boy could be extremely stubborn. But there had to be some way to make him see reason…

As Lavi was tapping his chin in thought, it came to him. A wry grin crept onto his face, and he gave a defeated shrug.

"Well, I guess that's that. It's too bad that we don't have any other options though."

Allen jerked a little; picking up on the tone of his voice. He stole a wary glance over his shoulder. "And why is that…?"

"Well, because I guess that means we'll just have to _leave_ her here,"

At the look of pure horror on Allen's face, it took all Lavi's willpower to stop burst of laughter and keep his expression clear. He busied himself with gently hauling the sleeping girl up as Allen's mouth opened, closed, opened, and closed again.

"_Leave her here? _Are you effing barmy?!"

"You got any better ideas? The way I see it, our only real options are to leave her here or bring her back with us. What's your call, Brit?"

At Allen's considerable hesitation, Lavi knew he already won. He grinned as Allen sighed and his shoulder's sagged, muttering something about the warehouse. He got on Lenalee's other side and wound her free arm around his shoulders, and together the two boys began to carefully walk her back to their current living quarters. And despite Allen's constant grumblings about their third roommate's inevitable reactions, when he looked down at the young girl beside him, he couldn't help but smile, just a little; and think, _this may not be so bad._

**Well, there's the first chapter of my first multichapter fic. A very redundant sentence, I know, but whatever. I hope you liked it, and I do plan to continue it, but that all depends on whether or not you guys want me to. Don't worry, the next chapter is where the real plot begins, and the summary for this story comes in. (or at least, I hope so.)**

**I'm also posting another fic around this same time about a certain extremely depressed therapist. I'll update the two stories according to which one you guys want more. Now that's not to say, 'only review for your favorite,' no, I'd appreciate all reviews. I'll just updates the favorites faster. So look for that fic, because it should be there by the time you read this. Please review, thank you for reading!!**

**~There was a silence**


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